1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a container for storably receiving an ink jet cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container for storably receiving a disposable type ink jet cartridge integrated with an ink tank for the purpose of reusing the ink jet cartridge later. Further, the present invention relates to a method of exchanging an ink jet cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus with another one when each recording operation is to be performed using a different kind of ink or when the ink stored in the ink jet cartridge is completely consumed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, many disposable type ink jet cartridges are increasingly used for ink jet recording apparatuses. When there arises a necessity that an ink jet recording apparatus performs a recording operation using a different kind of ink, the present ink jet cartridge should be exchanged with a new one having another kind of ink therein. In view of the convenience in temporarily holding the former ink jet cartridge so as to enable it to be reused later, proposals have been made with respect to a container for storably receiving a used ink jet cartridge therein. It should be noted that this type of container is prepared not only for the purpose of reusing the used ink jet cartridge later but also for the purpose of storably receiving a new ink jet cartridge therein. It is obvious that on completion of ink consumption, the container is disposed of together with the ink jet cartridge as waste.
FIG. 20 shows by way of perspective view the structure of a conventional ink jet cartridge. In this figure, reference numeral 1 designates an ink jet cartridge (IJC), reference numeral 2 designates a recording head unit integrated with the ink jet cartridge 1, and reference numeral 3 designates an ink discharging plane which is positionally coincident with the front surface of the recording head unit 2 and has a plurality of ink discharging orifices 4 formed thereon. An ink reservoir (not shown) having ink to be fed to the recording head unit 2 stored therein is received in the ink jet cartridge 1.
FIG. 21 shows by way of perspective view a typical ink jet recording apparatus IJRA for performing a recording operation with an ink jet cartridge IJC of the foregoing type mounted thereon. A carriage HC having the ink jet cartridge IJC carried thereon includes a pin (not shown) which is normally engaged with a spirally extending groove 5005 on a lead screw 5004, and as a driving motor 5013 is rotated in the normal/reverse direction and the rotation of the driving motor 5013 is transmitted to the lead screw 5004 via driving power transmission gears 5011 and 5009, the carriage HC is reciprocally displaced in the a arrow-marked/b arrow-marked direction. Reference numeral 5002 designates a retaining plate (sheet retaining plate) for retaining a recording medium P such as a sheet of paper, an OHP film or the like (hereinafter referred to a sheet). The sheet retaining plate 5002 thrusts the sheet P against a platen 5000 across the length of displacement of the carriage HC. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 designate photocouplers, respectively. When a lever 5006 of the carriage HC enters the region where the photocouplers 5007 and 5008 are disposed, they serve as home position detecting means for detecting the presence of the lever 5006 and then shifting the present direction of rotation of the driving motor 5013 to a reverse one. Reference numeral 5016 designates a member for supporting a cap member for capping an ink discharging plane 3 positionally coincident with the front surface of a recording head unit therewith, and reference numeral 5015 designates suction means for sucking in a cap member 5022. The suction means 5015 serves to suck ink in the ink jet recording head through an opening portion 5023 of the cap member 5022 so as to recover the ink jet cartridge IJC.
Reference numeral 5017 designates a wiping blade, and reference numeral 5019 designates a member for displacing the wiping blade 5017 in the forward/rearward direction. The wiping blade 5017 and the member 5019 are supported on a support plate 5018. Reference numeral 5021 designates a lever for starting the recovery suction of the suction means 5015. The lever 5021 is driven by the driving motor 5013 via hitherto known power transmitting means such as a clutch shifting member or the like adapted to be actuated as a cam 5020 engaged with the carriage HC is rotated.
Operations of capping, wiping and recovery suction are performed at the positions corresponding to the foregoing operations when the carriage HC is located in the working region on the home position side as the lead screw 5005 is rotated.
It is desirable that a container for storably receiving the ink jet cartridge 1 for an ink jet recording apparatus IJRA therein is equipped with a cap member for the purpose of preventing ink from leaking through the ink discharging orifices 4 on the ink discharging plane 3 of the recording head unit. In this connection, a proposal has been made with respect to a container of the foregoing type wherein a pumping operation for sucking ink from the ink discharging plane 3 of the recording head unit adapted to come in contact with a cap member while an ink jet cartridge IJC is received in the container is performed in operative association with opening/closing of a case cover of the container. With the container proposed in that way, a pumping operation is performed so as to allow the recording head unit to be recovered every time the ink jet cartridge IJC is taken out of the container. This makes it possible to reduce a load to be borne by the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA for the purpose of recovery of the ink jet cartridge IJC, but there arises a necessity for disposing of a waste ink chamber in the container. To satisfy the foregoing necessity, an ink absorber is disposed in the waste ink chamber for retaining the ink uselessly discharged from the recording head unit in the ink absorber.
In addition, another proposal has been made with respect to a container of the foregoing type wherein a piston type suction pump for performing a pumping operation is actuated in operative association with opening/closing of a case cover for the container.
With each of the conventional containers proposed in the above-described manner, however, when the waste ink chamber is designed with large dimensions, the container itself is correspondingly enlarged and becomes heavy, resulting in being inconvenient to carry and being stored with some difficulty. On the other hand, when the waste ink chamber is designed with small dimensions, there arises an occasion that the container is uneconomically disposed of together with the ink jet cartridge as waste because the waste ink chamber is fully filled with the drained ink even though the ink jet cartridge itself is still reusable.
As a piston of the piston type suction pump is actuated in the upward/downward direction in operative association with opening/closing of the case cover, turnable movement of the case cover for achieving the opening/closing of the same is converted into linear movement of the piston at the joint portion between the case cover and the piston. However, since the position to be assumed by the foregoing joint portion disposed on the case cover is restrictively determined, there arises a problem in that a very large magnitude of power is applied to the joint portion, causing the latter to be undesirably damaged or broken. Another problem is that an assembling operation is achieved for the joint portion with some difficulty.
In addition, with the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA having an ink jet cartridge IJC mounted thereon for recording operations, in the case that the ink jet cartridge IJC is exchanged with another having a different color of ink stored therein for the purpose of performing a recording operation using the different ink, it is required that the latter ink jet cartridge is recovered with the aid of the wiping blade 5017, the cap member 5022 and the suction means 5015 every time the present ink jet cartridge IJC is exchanged with other one. In this case, there is a possibility that a color of ink in the ink jet cartridge IJC is mixed with the ink stored in the new ink jet cartridge with a different color. Further, since an ink absorber (not shown) received in the recovery means has a certain limit in respect of an ink absorbing capacity, there is a possibility that an extra quantity of ink leaks outside as ink is increasingly absorbed in the ink absorber every time the ink jet cartridge IJC is repeatedly exchanged with other one having a different kind of ink received therein.
A recovery unit is complicated in structure and occupies a large space in the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA. This makes it difficult to design the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA with small dimensions and light weight at a reduced cost. The more complicated the recovery unit, the more complicated the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA. Thus, trouble can readily to occur with the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA. In other words, reliability of the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA is degraded. Usually, a sheet feeding motor and a carriage driving motor arranged in the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA serve also as a power source for the recovery unit for the ink jet cartridge. This leads to the result that motors each generating a large magnitude of torque should be employed for the sheet feeding motor and the carriage driving motor.
When the ink jet cartridge is detached from the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA and a new ink cartridge is then attached to the same, there may arise a problem that a sheet of paper is contaminated with the ink scattered away from the ink jet cartridge, and moreover, the interior of the ink jet recording apparatus IJRA becomes dirty with the scattered ink.